Krysta Meyer, a mother of an eight-month-old boy, Oliver, shared a video of her son. The boy's swim instructor threw him into a pool, and now it is causing controversy. The video went viral.
On TikTok and Twitter, the video has gained millions of views. Meyer captioned the clip saying that her son never fails to amaze her every week. She could not believe that her baby boy is barely two months into his swimming lessons and is catching on quickly. She described her son, saying that he is a "little fish."
@mom.of.2.boyss Oliver amazes me every week! I can’t believe he is barely 2 months in and is catching on so fast. He is a little fish. ##baby ##swim ♬ original sound - mom.of.2.boyss
People react to the boy's safety
Commenters could not help but react and show their concern for the little boy. Meyer told Motherly that she understands the people's reactions. She knows why people are freaking out when they watch the video out of context. She explained that what happened in the video is appropriate, while death threats that people have been sending her are not.
She gets it that it looks terrible to other people, and she knows that it is not for everyone. Adding to that, Meyer welcomes the controversy because anything that gets parents to talk about water safety could save lives.
Throwing a child into a pool is not recommended
A pediatrician and fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Dr. Andrew J. Bernstein, shared his thoughts on Fatherly. He said that pediatricians do not recommend this swimming lesson method.
He said that even though it works with other babies, it has a significant risk. He explained that if a baby does not hold his breath for long enough and at the right time while inside the pool, water could get into his lungs. Apart from that, he said that it could lead to a lack of oxygen, pneumonia, or drowning.
What you need to know about swimming lessons
Little Fins Swim School in Colorado Springs conducts Infant Survival swimming lessons. It was where they took the video of the baby taking swimming lessons in a pool.
Do note that Little Fins' Infant Survival lessons and Infant Swimming Resource (ISR) lessons are different. ISR instructors have been sharing the common misunderstanding that ISR involves lessons like throwing babies into a pool.
The ISR website states that their instructors do not throw babies into the water. When children take ISR, instructors will not throw them from the heights, as seen in Meyer's video. They do it in a way that mimics a more typical entry. It would look like falling into the pool from the side or just like scooting off the stairs.
Meyer shares that she did not know that there was a difference between the two concepts. She only knew them when commenters added the ISR hashtag on the videos she posted. Meyer has an older son, Jayce, who is three years old. Her firstborn started taking his swimming lessons at Little Fins since he was one.
In one of her previous video captions, Meyer shared that letting Jayce attend swimming lessons at Little Fins was one of the best decisions she has ever made. She said that it gave her peace of mind that her child is safe around water.
Meyer agrees with AAP's stance that swimming lessons at any age do not "drown proof" any child. She knows that lessons are just one way to make her children safer.
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